It is known to polymerize acrylonitrile using radical and anionic reactions. These reactions are, however, uncontrolled and techniques for precisely controlling polydispersity and molecular weight of the polymer product are not available.
It would be advantageous to provide a polymerization process wherein precise control of molecular weight and the achievement of a narrow polydispersity could be obtained. Such a process could yield polymers that exhibit highly uniform and reproducible properties based on the achievement of well defined polymeric structures. These advantages are achieved with the present invention.